4 & 5 November 2017 / Cologne, Germany

Sonoj Convention 2017

About

The Sonoj Convention is an event on the 4th and 5th of November 2017 in Cologne, Germany. Admission is free. It's topic is music production with open source software. The Sonoj Convention is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people, maybe even to have engaging discussions!

The Event

When you get here you will be able to enjoy demonstrations, talks and workshops about music production through open source software. Hands-on tutorials and workflow presentations can be expected. All presentations and workshops will be held in English.

Every man and woman is welcome, no matter your musical or technological background. Bring your own computer to participate, if you want!

Tobiasz 'unfa' Karoń

Eamonn Tobin

Michal Souček

Filipe 'falktx' Coelho

Harry "OpenAV" van Haaren

Nils Hilbricht

If you want to present something

Visitor Registration

We have reached the maximum number of visitors. If you register now you will be put on a waiting list.

Entry is free but we only have space for 50 visitors. Register right now and save a seat for yourself with only your name and e-mail address. Your registration is valid for both days.
To register please write us to info@sonoj.org or use the form below. Some people also found us over MeetUp and chose to register there. This is an equally valid registration.

THIS IS JUST AN ARCHIVED VERSION OF THE WEBSITE. THE EVENT IS OVER. REGISTRATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.

You can help with a donation!

The Sonoj Convention is organized by volunteers and generously hosted by the Chaos Computer Club Cologne. To cover the expenses (electricity, internet, insurance, hardware etc.) we depend on your donation.

The fundraiser was successful and we want to thank the following persons for their support:

Premium Supporters

Generous Supporters

Sonoj Schedule

There are three types of content: talks or demonstrations (black background), workshops (blue) and a concert (red).

Saturday 10:40 - 11:00

WelcomeWhat Is Open Source?

Nils Hilbricht (Sonoj), CologneFlorian Zeitz (CCCC), Cologne

Saturday 11:00 - 12:00

Integrating hardware controllers with audio software for live music

Harry van Haaren (OpenAV), Limerick

Saturday 12:10 - 13:10

Synthesizing electronic dance music with Ardour & ZynAddSubFX

Tobiasz 'unfa' Karoń, Warsaw

Saturday 14:10 - 15:10

Carla Plugin HostFeature Demonstration and Workflows

Filipe Coelho, Berlin

Saturday 15:20 - 16:20

Boring Musicand How to Make it Interesting

Louigi Verona, Berlin

Saturday 16:30 - 17:30

Appearance matters!Use lights to make your shows look better

Michal Souček, Prague

Saturday 20:00

Concert and DJ Sets

Eamonn TobinTobiasz 'unfa' KarońLouigi Verona

Sunday 10:30 - 12:30

Creating a Radio Drama with Ardour (for Beginners)

Eamonn Tobin, Brussel

Sunday 12:50 - 14:50

WorkshopMusic Producing Challenge

Louigi Verona, Berlin

Sunday 15:00 - 16:00

Fantasy Game Soundtrack Productionin an open source ecosystem

Nils Hilbricht, Cologne

Sunday 16:10

Farewell

Nils Hilbricht, Cologne

Details

The Sonoj Convention will be held in the rooms of the Chaos Computer Club Cologne, Heliosstrasse 6a 50825 Cologne, Germany on Saturday Nov. the 4th and Sunday Nov. the 5th 17.

You can visit, admission free, if you register beforehand on this website. For all other people there will be live video streaming and later upload of the recordings.

The theme of the convention is making music with free and open source software and hardware. That includes a single program up to a whole operating system. No matter the technology, the music is at the center of it. Every talk, demonstration or workshop will be focused on music. This also includes a top-down approach e.g. we advise our speakers to start with a piece of music and refer everything after that to it.

Our presentations and workshops are "hands-on" for musicians, composers, broadcasters etc. who do not need to know anything about tinkering with software. If you just want to record or create nice synthesized or sampled sounds with your computer - the Sonoj Convention is for you! We believe that open source software ultimately helps you to achieve your goals. So bring your computer as well!

Everything else will hopefully be answered in our FAQ section below. If you have any questions or comments left please write a mail to info@sonoj.org

Frequently Asked Questions, Rules and Other Topics of Interest

Organization

When?

November the 4th (Saturday) and 5th (Sunday) 2017. Program begins at 10:40AM CET.

Organizers

Do I need to register as a visitor?

Yes, you have to. The space is limited to 50 people, so registration is mandatory and can be done per mail with your name to info@sonoj.org or with a form on the main page. If we reach 50 we still accept new ones and create a waiting-list.

How much does it cost to visit the Sonoj Convention?

There is no entry fee. However, we expect a donation previous to the event date per internet transfer or cash at the convention. The donations are used to pay for electricity, water and other costs. If (a big if) there is money leftover it will be either used to organize a follow-up convention in the next year or for ongoing expenses of the organizing group Open Source Audio Meeting Cologne(Website), which holds a monthly meeting about the same topics as the Sonoj Convention.

Do I get paid as a speaker?

Sadly not. This is the first time the Sonoj Convention happens so we don't have a budget to even cover the travel expenses (not for ourselves as well). If you want to hold a presentation we can arrange a place to stay overnight for free though. This will not be a hotel but a private room of a volunteering organizer.

Do I need to register twice as speaker and visitor?

Accepted speakers do not need to register as visitor and are not counted. However, if you did do not worry. Everything is processed by hand anyway and we are able to work with these issues.

Can I cancel my registration?

Yes, please write us a mail to info@sonoj.org so we can notify someone from the waiting-list. Please note that we won't refund any donations made up to this point. Consider it a good deed.

The Venue and Surroundings

The Venue

The Venue is on high ground level. Normal entrance is by stairs but there is a ramp and an elevator meant for delivering goods that can be used for e.g. wheelchairs. Please contact us if you need this as we need to open a lock first.
The venue provides unisex bathrooms but has no dedicated area for small children or a diaper changing table.

Internet Access

The venue provides an open WLAN. Its costs are covered by your donations.

Forbidden

Please no animals except service animals
No smoking inside
The rules of our host Chaos Computer Club Colognehttps://koeln.ccc.de/ apply

Traveling

The venue is located directly near the Train Station "Bahnhof Köln Ehrenfeld" (Wikipedia Link) which is itself quickly and easy to reach from Cologne Central Station or from outside the city.
Also nearby is the subway station "Venloer Strasse".

Parking

Parking for cars in the area is generally free of charge. The venue itself has no parking spots of its own. Since Cologne Ehrenfeld is a densely populated area there is no guarantee to get a spot. There are commercial parking garages in the area which you have to research yourself.
If you don't want to try your luck it is advised to use a train station with a huge free parking area like "Koeln-Weiden West" and travel 10 minutes by train and by foot to the venue.

Food

The district Cologne Ehrenfeld is a central district. There are many shops, takeaways, restaurants and convenience stores very near. The adjacent building is a supermarket.
The venue itself provides snacks and drinks to buy. Tap-water is free (the quality of tap water in Cologne is very good and officially recommended to drink). In this case it is convenient and sanitary to bring your own refillable bottle.

Accommodations

The district Cologne Ehrenfeld is a central district. There are many cheap and expensive hotels and a lot of people that offer private rooms and beds in the area. We have no recommendations or sponsored agreements with any of them so please do your own research. The very nearby train and subway station make it possible to widen the search. If you are a speaker we maybe can arrange a private bed for free from a volunteering organizing member.

What should I wear?

Misc

What is the meaning of "Sonoj"?

Is the Sonoj Convention organized by the Chaos Computer Club (Cologne)?

No, it is an independent event. The club provides the rooms.

Can I use the logo to write about the Sonoj Convention?

Yes. You can use our images directly as linked-in on your own site or download/reupload it yourself.
You can scale it, change the color or file format
The logo is not under a permissive license and can only be used in a press or documentary context. (free of charge, no royalties, no attribution)